Video Game Releases – March

It has been awhile, but we are finally back to bring you the best upcoming releases in the video game world. This month looks amazing, so let’s jump right into it.

MASS EFFECT 3

Mass Effect 3 will begin on Earth, with Commander Shepard on trial for the consequences of his/her actions in the Mass Effect 2 DLC pack Arrival. During the trial, Earth is attacked by Reapers. Faced with insurmountable odds, Shepard is forced to flee the planet in order to gather support from alien civilizations and mount a counter-attack while also having to deal with Cerberus, who have decided to turn against him/her. It is possible for Shepard to lose to the Reapers.

Players with saved files from Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 will be given the option of importing them into Mass Effect 3. If a saved file is imported, over 1,000 variables will be pulled that will help shape how the final chapter is experienced. If there are no saved files available, there will be no origin-story comic for new players to help them make quick decisions like there was in Mass Effect 2. Imported characters’ appearance and class will be changeable, with more features and hair-styles included in the character creator than in Mass Effect 2. Commander Shepard will always start the game with some powers. Upon finishing the game, there will be a New Game+ option that allows players to continue playing after the main story ends or start again with their finished Shepard and collect items they missed the first time around. The game will have 82 minutes of cut-scenes.

Mass Effect 3 will have three pre-set campaign modes: Action Mode, Story Mode, and RPG Mode. In Action Mode, conversations will have automatic replies and a normal combat difficulty. In Story Mode, conversations will have manual replies and a minimal combat difficulty. In RPG Mode, conversations will have manual replies and a normal combat difficulty. This last mode is reflective of the typical Mass Effect series experience. Overall, the RPG elements in the game have been improved over those in Mass Effect 2, with a more detailed leveling up system and increased weapon customization. To level up characters, players will have skills that start along a single path and then eventually splinter into two branches where they can select only one upgrade or the other along a sequence of possibilities. Take Earth Back on March 6th!

MARIO PARTY 9

Like previous Mario Party titles, four players take part in each game, composed of a virtual board, and move around a variety of themed lands to collect stars, while avoiding certain spaces. A gameplay element in one of the boards is that all four players will move around in one vehicle. Minigames will reappear, and have a larger focus on the gameplay than they did in the previous game.

Similar to Mario Party Advance, players move around in a vehicle, such as a car. The objective of the game is to collect mini-stars. It has been confirmed that Mario Party 9 will feature twelve playable characters, with eleven already named, but it is possible that “Mario Party Points” can be used to buy more.

In a first for the Mario Party series, each board culminates in a boss battle. There will be many more mini-games in Mario Party 9, and game length has been set to 45 minutes. You can pick this title up on March 2nd.

SILENT HILL: DOWNPOUR

Silent Hill: Downpour will follow Murphy Pendleton, a prisoner who is stranded in the town of Silent Hill after the prison transport vehicle he is being transported with careens off a road;Downpour‘s plot will be unrelated to previous installments in the series, focusing on Murphy rather than the series’ mythos, and its events will take place in the southeastern region of Silent Hill, which has never been explored in previous games.

Silent Hill: Downpour‘s gameplay will include combat and puzzle-solving. The game will mostly use a third-person view, including fixed camera views. The player character will have access to a few firearms and different breakable melee weapons, but will only be able to carry a single melee weapon at once. Downpour will feature puzzle difficulty selections and side-quests which will change depending on the player’s play style. Buildings featured in previous installments of the series, such as a hospital and a school, will be excluded and the element of water will be holding a prominent role, with torrential rain being featured. Go back to Silent Hill on March 13th.

NINJA GAIDEN 3

Ninja Gaiden 3 will yet again feature Ryu Hayabusa as the main character. Although his black leather outfit from the previous two installments will make another appearance, Ryu has been seen with a new metallic black suit in recent screenshots. It has a few visible differences as well. His toes are now covered with metal, presumably used for his new Kunai Climb.

The game will feature a few new mechanics and changes. The new Kunai Climb involves Ryu climbing onto certain walls with the use of his kunai, which he can use to attack enemies from above. In other situations the player will have to be stealthy, as Ryu can now sneak up on an enemy and kill him with a single strike. Enemies speak while fighting, saying phrases like “Get around him!” and “Send backup!”. Enemies do not die quickly, and they will suffer and scream in pain when injured. They are no longer decapitated or dismembered, instead they will just bleed and weaken. You can check this one out on March 20th.

KID ICARUS: UPRISING

The plot of Kid Icarus: Uprising follows the angelic protagonist, Pit, as he battles against the forces of a reborn Medusa who seeks to destroy mankind. Pit will also utilize the ability of flight granted by Palutena called the “Miracle of Flight” to aid him in flying to different worlds so he could fight massive monsters.However, Pit finds himself also dealing with a doppelganger of himself called Dark Pit.

Players take control of Pit, who must protect the land from the evil Medusa. The game can be controlled either with the default controller and stylus or the Circle Pad Pro peripheral. The game will ship with a stand allowing the player to hold the 3DS in place. Each of the game’s various chapters are split up into air and ground sections. Air sections are on-rail shooting segments, in which players must shoot flying enemies whilst dodging enemy attacks. Once on the ground, players have more control over Pit as he traverses through the level. Pit can either shoot enemies from a distance or attack them up close with melee attacks, whilst also performing various moves to dodge enemy attacks. As the game progresses, Pit will earn several types of weapons such as bows, claws, blades and more, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. By collecting hearts from defeated enemies, players can bet these hearts to increase the ‘intensity’ of a chapter, increasing its difficulty. If the player successfully clears a chapter, they can earn rewards, such as new weapons, depending on the intensity settings, with higher intensity earning more powerful equipment. Take control of Pit on March 23rd.